DON’T BE SCARED. “Skull 3”, pencil on smooth Bristol paper. Illustration by Sara Blake

(First published on Rappler.com on February 12, 2014) MANILA, Philippines – What does it take to live a life less ordinary? At the recently held Graphika Manila 2014, luminaries from the creative world shared the stage to talk about their creative process, their best work, the mistakes they’ve made, and lessons they’ve learned along the way. We saw from their individual journeys that whatever the speakers’ backgrounds—whether they hailed from Barcelona or Bacolod, were a newbie or a veteran, worked freelance or in a studio—they…Continue Reading “Feeling uninspired? Wise words from top creatives (Rappler.com)”

In September 2012, I was fortunate enough to have been one of the panelists of Mashable and Rappler‘s “Social Good Summit” in Manila. Here’s an excerpt of a feature about some insights that I and fellow netizen Jane Uymatiao shared with the audience. To view my full segment, please watch the video on the right sidebar. To view a summary of the  Social Good Summit, please click HERE. Hope to see more of you “super citizens” online! 😉 — ‘The tweet is mightier than the…Continue Reading “In the News: ‘The tweet is mightier than the sword’ (Rappler)”

Almost a month ago (and fresh after the grueling campaign!), I and my “writing sisters” from Writer’s Block Philippines joined Lonely Planet guidebook author Greg Bloom in giving a travel writing seminar to guests of Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street . It was great fun sharing our insights from two of the things we love most–writing and traveling–and to be joined by no less than an authority in the field. Here, I’ll share an excerpt of what Fully Booked published in its blog, but for more meaty…Continue Reading “In the News: Top 5 Take-Home Tidbits from the Lonely Planet No More Seminar (Fully Booked)”

It’s a great city, but what’s with all the traffic and trash? Finally, Manila is trying to clean up its act By Niña Terol-Zialcita  For travelers used to efficient public transport, wide roads and a general sense of order, Manila’s careening jeeps and buses, overflowing trash and a globally “hated” airport are a shock to the system. Bill Davis, an American missionary and editor based in the Philippine island of Palawan, calls it “benign chaos.” “That’s how it seems to many foreigners,” says Davis, who has…Continue Reading “5 things travelers hate about Manila — and how the city’s tackling them (CNNGo.com)”